As I was scrolling through social media this week, I came across several news stories that my friends and coworkers had posted regarding the new U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Apparently, during his confirmation hearings, he made a statement about SSRIs being as addictive as heroin. SSRIs are Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibiters and are used to treat depression and anxiety. They work to increase the serotonin level in your brain and include such medications as Prozac, Zoloft, Lexapro, and Paxil among others. Heroin, on the other hand, falls into a class of medications called opioids and affects the level of Dopamine in your brain. Serotonin and Dopamine are two different chemicals in your brain that do different things.
Serotonin works to regulate your mood, appetite, sleep, memory, social behavior and libido while Dopamine increases the level of motivation and pleasure in your brain. A second difference in these medications is that heroin has an immediate effect while the SSRIs do not. It takes several weeks for SSRIs to show their full effectiveness and therefore are not likely to be abused.
Although a person may show discontinuation effects from being taken off an SSRI, they do not show the same effects as withdrawal from heroin. When one discontinues SSRIs suddenly, they may feel flu like symptoms and nausea for several days. This is more common in people who have discontinued the medication abruptly, have been on it for long periods of time, or have been prescribed high doses. In contrast, when heroin has been discontinued, symptoms of withdrawal begin within six-twelve hours and are typically gone within five to seven days. Heroin has been illegal in the US since 1924.
My concern as a mental health professional with years of experience is that people who make underinformed comments, like the one by Kennedy, may have an impact on people who need SSRIs to treat their depression and anxiety. In fact, some may stop their SSRIs because of the comment or similar comments and the stigma that they reinforce.
Mental health medications are just as important as physical health medications and in order to Make America Healthy Again, as the President has stated, we must be aware of the intended uses of medications and what impact our words can have on those prescribed these types of medications.
We would not tell people to stop taking their blood pressure, diabetes, or other physical health medications and we should not tell people to stop taking their mental health medications if we do not have a medical degree and are not treating that person. Mental health medications treat a chemical imbalance in our brains and there should be no shame in seeking treatment for that imbalance. Additionally, therapy should be considered as a compliment to medication just as diet and exercise are recommended for physical health issues.
